The Last True Gentleman
by Merenwen Meneldur
Summary: Wow, my first story and you want a summary? Well, basically this is a story of Harry Potter and what could have happened if he'd been brought up by Hagrid instead of the Dursleys....I hope you enjoy!
1. Young Harry

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Harry Potter characters, since I'm not JK Rowling ((Looks down to double-check....No, I'm not JK Rowling...)) and I do not own Roman - she owns herself. All I do own is, well, this storyline.

**Chapter One**

"Yer a wizard, 'arry," Hagrid said to the small boy across the table. The boy, who looked about five or six, had unruly black hair and round black glasses. Just underneath his hair, was a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt.  
"You mean magic is real, Haggie?" Harry asked, eyes wide.   
Hagrid nodded emphatically, "Aye, 'arry, it is. Yer mumma and papa were strong wizards indeed. Yeh've inherited it 'arry. Do yeh want ter know the story of yer family and how yeh got that scar?" he asked.   
Harry paused and then nodded nervously. Hagrid took a deep breath and began, "It was a night when yeh were just a little baby…"

#-#-#-

"Noooooo!" A bloodcurdling scream split the night air, followed by an evil laughter. Inside the house, in a dark room lit only by the moon, there was a baby, protected in the arms of its mother and father. The evil laughter was coming from across the room, where a faceless, shapeless man stood with an evil grin. A wand was in the man's hand, glowing with a strange, sickly green light. He raised the wand high above his head and cried, "_Avada Kedavra!_" The sickly green light expanded to fill the room and screams of anguish resounded around the house. The faceless man began laughing with satisfaction. Suddenly the screaming stopped and the green light faded back to the moonlight. Bodies lay on the ground where the two adults and child had been. The faceless man approached the bodies and inspected them. The adults lay as if asleep, unmoving. As the man looked down, the child opened its eyes and began to cry. The man recoiled as if struck. How could the boy still be alive? The faceless man screamed in anguish and frustration. He waved his wand again and disappeared in a cloud of blue smoke, leaving the child, crying, where it was…

#-#-#-

"An' tha's where I found yer, 'arry," Hagrid said, "Alone in the world, no parents ter bring yer up and so I took o'er the role." Harry sat silently for many moments. As the silence stretched out, Hagrid feared that maybe the boy was too young for such a story.   
Harry suddenly looked up and asked, "Haggie, who was that man? And what does that spell mean?"   
Hagrid sighed, partly in relief, "Tha' man, 'arry, was a very powerful wizard. A wizard whose name yeh mun ne'er say. We dun know why he attacked yer family yet, but we are trying to find out. The Avada curse is one of the three Unforgivable curses. It kills a person without e'er leavin' a mark on 'em," Hagrid replied.   
Harry looked thoughtful and then asked, with all the innocence of a child, "So, why am I alive?"   
Hagrid grinned and said, "Yer special 'arry. Yer the only one to survive an attack by You-Know-Who. Ne'er say his name, 'arry – yeh'll draw him to yer and ne'er be safe."   
Harry looked at Hagrid and nodded, "I'm going to bed now, Haggie. G'night," he said, and left the room.

Not long after Harry had left the room, there was a knock on the door of the hut. Hagrid got up and opened the door. Standing there was a shorter man, with a long flowing, greying beard and glasses perched on the end of his nose. "Professor Dumbledore," Hagrid said, with obvious delight, "Come in! Come in! 'arry's in bed so we can 'ave a chat."  
"Thank you, Hagrid," the newcomer said, and walked over to the said that Harry had just left. Sitting down, he made himself comfortable, before asking, "So, how did it go, Hagrid?"   
Lowering himself back into his chair, Hagrid replied, "Well Albus, 'arry seemed ter take it very well. He accepts the fact that is a wizard and I believe he is understanding of the story about his parents."   
Albus nodded, looking very fatherly right then, "Good. Good," he said.

Unbeknown to the two men, Harry was silently crying into his pillow. "Mumma. Papa. Why'd you have to leave me?" he wailed, seeming older than his young years. "I will pay him back for you," he resolved, "I'll get him for taking you away for me."

#-#-#-

The next morning, over breakfast, Harry was unusually silent. Hagrid looked concernedly at the boy, "Are ye al'ight, 'arry?" he asked. Harry nodded, but still didn't say anything. Trying to cheer the boy up, Hagrid said, "Why dun we head down ter Diagon Alley and begin yer collection of wizarding items today?" Harry visibly brightened at this suggestion and immediately left the room to prepare himself for the trip to Diagon Alley.

Returning to the room, just a few short moments later, Harry was now dressed in a sensible outfit of jeans and a T-shirt. "Okay, Hagrid," he said, "Let's get to Diagon Alley." He walked over to the door, pulled it open and stepped out into the bright sunlight, waiting for Hagrid to follow.   
A few seconds later, Hagrid stepped out of the hut and said, "Let's travel the wizard way, 'arry. Come back inside." Harry looked a little confused, but followed Hagrid back into the hut. Hagrid walked over to the fireplace and picked up a small pot from the mantlepiece. Harry looked up at the tall man, wide-eyed. "Right 'arry," Hagrid said, "We'll go tergether." He pulled a pinch of powder out of the pot and flung it into the fire. The fire flared green and, before Harry could do anything about it, Hagrid had grabbed his hand and pulled him into the green flames. Still holding Harry's hand, Hagrid said loudly, "Diagon Alley." Suddenly, Harry felt as though he was spinning in circles and he squeezed his eyes shut, although that only made him feel dizzy. Finally, the spinning sensation stopped and Harry carefully opened his eyes. They were no longer in Hagrid's hut, but in what appeared to be an inn or a pub.   
"Err, Hagrid?" the boy said, clinging tighter to Hagrid's hand, "Where are we?"   
Hagrid laughed and pulled the boy out of the fireplace, while saying, "We're at the Leaky Cauldron. Yeh've just had yeh first experience with Floo Powder."   
Harry just looked more confused as Hagrid pulled him, blinking, out into the sunshine of Diagon Alley.

Finally, their eyes adjusted to the light, they paused just outside the door to the Leaky Cauldron and Hagrid looked at Harry, "Right 'arry. First stop is Gringott's bank. Otherwise, we canna buy yer items," he said. Harry nodded. Turning, Hagrid headed towards the bank. As they got to the bank, Harry's attention was drawn to a young girl, not much older than himself, standing by herself next to the door. Hagrid, noticing Harry's distraction, said, "Why dun ye sta' out 'ere an' I'll get the money an' meet yer out 'ere?" Harry nodded, still distracted by the girl. Hagrid shook his head in a most fatherly way, and walked into the bank. By this time, the girl had seen Harry staring at her and had wandered over to him.   
"Hello there," she said, brightly, "And who might you be?"   
Harry replied, "I'm Harry," taken by surprise that she had noticed him.   
"Well, pleased to meet you Harry," said the girl, sweeping off her top hat and bowing low to him, "I'm Roman." Harry nodded. "Well you _are_ a quiet one," she said, a little huffily. Harry opened his mouth and was about to reply, when Hagrid suddenly appeared behind him.   
"Ready t' go, 'arry?" Hagrid asked.   
Turning around to face Hagrid, Harry said, "Sure! In a minute." Harry turned back to Roman and asked, "Are you a wizard too? Are you going to be at the same school as me?"   
Roman laughed and said, "Of course I'm a wizard silly! Otherwise I wouldn't be able to get here. And I will be at Hogwarts with you. So I guess I'll see you there. Bye!!"   
She waved, put her top hat on at a jaunty angle and ran off to join the woman that had just walked out of the bank. Harry watched as she left and then turned back to Hagrid, "Ok," he said, "I'm ready now!"

#-#-#-

Back at the hut, Harry flopped into the closest chair to the door, dropping his bags onto the floor in front of him. "I'm so tired, Haggie," he said, wearily.  
Hagrid laughed, a big booming sound that filled the small hut, and said, "Well, o' course yer are, 'arry. Yeh've 'ad a big day fer such a youn' boy! Time fer bed fer yeh methinks!"   
Harry nodded in agreement and, leaving the bags where they were, headed for bed, yawning widely.

#-#-#-

The next morning, Harry woke up early and wondered if it had all been a dream. Could he really have travelled to another place by throwing some powder onto a fire and then jumping into it? Quietly slipping out of bed, Harry padded silently into the main room. Hearing Hagrid's snores from his bedroom, Harry walked over to the chair closest to the door and saw the bags sitting there, where he'd left them the previous night. _So, _he thought, _I **did **go to Diagon Alley through the fireplace. Now, what did Hagrid call that powder? Floo Powder? It must be in one of my books. _Sitting down in the chair, Harry started to pull out all of his school supplies, sorting them out. Ink bottles and quills in one pile, parchment in another, new clothing in yet another pile and, finally, a pile of books. Harry glanced at the titles of each. He was young, but living with Hagrid had taught him many things, and he had taught himself to read at the tender age of three. Picking out a book, Harry began to leaf through it, looking for any information about Floo Powder.   
Finally he came to it, and he began to read, _Floo Powder is a magical compound of many different herbs, silvery in colour, invented by Ignatia Wildsmith in the 1200s. It allows a wizard to travel instantly from one place to another, so long as they know the name of the place they are travelling to. All a wizard has to do is throw a small amount of Floo Powder onto a fireplace, causing the flames to turn emerald green. The wizard then only has to step into the emerald flames and state the name of the place they wish to travel to. It has been known for a wizard, with unfortunate speech impediments, to travel to a completely different place than they intended on going, or simply never appearing anywhere. It is vital for the wizard to pronounce the name of the place clearly and loudly to avoid any unfortunate accidents such as this. It can also be used to communicate with other wizards across great distances. In order to do this, one only has to insert their head into the emeral flames, once again stating the name of the place they wish to connect to. _Harry glanced up, amazed. Determined to learn more, Harry began reading other sections of the book.

It was there, in that chair, that Hagrid found him a couple of hours later, still reading the book, although it was another one of the books they'd bought at Diagon Alley than the one Harry had begun to read earlier that morning.   
Chuckling, Hagrid walked over to him and asked, "Yeh readin' yer books 'arry? Wanna get ahead in yeh classes, eh?"   
Harry, startled, looked up and said, "Yes Haggie, I was just curious about Floo Powder and then I got really really interested."   
"Well, 'arry, methinks it's time fer a youn' boy like yerself ter 'ave some breakfast," Hagrid replied, "There's eggs out on the table waiting fer yeh."   
Harry nodded and reluctantly put his book down, stood up and headed to the kitchen.

Harry walked into the kitchen and pulled up a chair at the old wooden table. Delicious smells wafted from the bowls and plates on the table. As he sat down, his stomach growled loudly and he wasted no time in filling a plate with all kinds of foods, eggs and crusty bread, bacon and tomatoes. He ate his fill and sat back in satisfaction. Standing up, he cleared the table and washed up all the plates and bowls.


	2. Diagon Alley and the meeting of Malfoy

_**Disclaimer: **I still don't own any of the Harry Potter characters or the Harry Potter World. I do, however, own this version of the Harry Potter adventures. Roman still doesn't belong to me. Enjoy!_

**Chapter Two**

Hagrid walked quietly into Harry's bedroom. It was still dark outside and the birds hadn't even started singing yet. "'arry," he whispered, sounding more like someone who was talking normally, "'arry. It's time ter get up."  
Harry stirred silently and then just rolled over and fell back to sleep.  
Hagrid reached out to Harry and shook him slightly, "'arry. Time ter get up," he said.  
Finally, Harry rolled over and asked sleepily, "What's wrong Hagrid?"  
The larger man chortled and said, "Yeh 'ave ter get up, 'arry. I 'ave summin' for yeh." Harry sighed and got up out of bed. Without giving Harry the chance to get dressed, Hagrid pulled him out into the kitchen.  
"Well," he said, like a giant kid, "Wha' do yeh think?"  
Harry just stopped in the doorway, dumbfounded. There was a large cake sitting in the middle of the table, along with numerous presents of all sizes. "All this…" Harry said, "For me?"  
Hagrid nodded with delight, like an oversized child at Christmas-time. "There's another little surprise, 'arry," he said, and walked over to the front door, pulling it open as he got there. Standing at the door, was an immense creature, part horse, part eagle. Harry's eyes widened even further, until it appeared that his eyes were going to fall out.  
"What on earth…?" he said, cautiously walking up to Hagrid.  
"This, 'arry," Hagrid said, "Is a 'ippogriff. 'is name is Buckbeak. 'e's yers ter grow up with an' train." He walked towards the creature, performing a curious dance, consisting of bowing and staring directly into the creature's eyes. Finally, he was right next to the creature, and he stretched out a hand to pat it.

Harry watched, amazed, as the creature bowed its head down for Hagrid to pat it. "Yeh 'ave ter pay respect ter 'im, 'arry," Hagrid said, "Or 'e migh' just attack yeh. Come o'ver 'ere an' 'ave a go." Harry just stared back at Hagrid.  
_He really wants me to go over there and pat that…that…**thing**? _he thought.  
Tentatively, Harry bowed towards the creature from where he was standing. The creature looked back at him with beady eyes and then acknowledged Harry by inclining its head back to him.  
"Good, 'arry," Hagrid said, encouragingly, "Now, just take a few steps forward, keepin' yer eyes directly into 'is and bow again." Harry followed Hagrid's instructions carefully – the talons on the creature looked rather dangerous. The creature again returned Harry's bow with an inclination of its head. Taking the initiative, Harry repeated the process until he was right next to the creature.  
Hagrid looked obviously delighted, "Great, 'arry. Now, reach yer 'and out an' let 'im come ter yeh. If 'e wants ter be patted, 'e'll come down ter yeh." Following Hagrid's directions, Harry stretched out a shaking hand. Buckbeak bowed his head down towards Harry's hand and, almost cat-like, brushed against Harry's palm. "'e likes yeh!" Hagrid exclaimed.  
Harry patted the creature nervously, but with increasing confidence as the Hippogriff made what was almost a purring sound in the back of its throat.

Finally, Harry stopped stroking the Hippogriff and bowed once again. This time Buckbeak, inclined his head lower than before. Harry smiled and walked back into the hut, followed closely by Hagrid. "Well, 'arry," Hagrid said, "Do yeh like yer present?"  
"Well it's certainly different," Harry replied, slowly. Seeing Hagrid's expression fall slightly, Harry hastily added, "But I definitely do like it!"  
Hagrid's eyes lit up like a child in Honeyduke's Sweet-Shop. "C'mon then 'arry, open yeh presents," Hagrid urged.  
Harry grinned and walked back over to the table, pulling one of the smaller and flatter presents towards him, and ripping the paper off of it. As he opened it, something shimmery and silvery fell out of it. He reached down and picked it up where it had fallen onto the floor and almost dropped it again. "What is this, Hagrid?" he asked, "It almost feels like water, but it can't be because it's a cloth!" He unfolded it and looked closely at it.  
Hagrid smiled and said, "That, 'arry, is very rare an' special. It's an Invisibility Cloak. In fact, it belonged ter yer Papa, an' now it belongs to yeh."  
Harry's eyes widened in surprise, "This…belonged…to my father?" he whispered, incredulously. _This is something I'll treasure forever_, he thought.  
"Well," said Hagrid, "'ad ter give yeh somethin' special on yeh tenth birthday. After all, only one more year til yeh start at Hogwarts."  
Harry nodded, placing the Cloak carefully beside him on the table and continued opening all his other presents.

#-#-#-

Harry looked at Hagrid and asked, "Hagrid, do you mind if I head into Diagon Alley for a while? I'd like to look around at my school supplies and maybe do some shopping."  
Hagrid almost glowed with delight, "O' course ye can, 'arry! Ye are more than old enough ter go out on yer own! Afor ye go, yer'll need ter know yer vault number at Gringott's. It's Vault 217. Jus' go up ter the goblins and ask ter make a withdrawal," Hagrid said, handing Harry an old key.  
Harry nodded and smiled his thanks at Hagrid. He walked into his bedroom and carefully selected some clothes. He hadn't forgotten the last time he was at Diagon Alley and the chance meeting with the red-headed Roman. Just before leaving his room, Harry slipped the key that Hagrid had given him into his own pocket.

Finally, he returned to the kitchen, wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a collared shirt, teaming them with his best pair of casual shoes. Pushing his glasses back up on his nose, Harry said, "Well, Haggie, I'm ready to go now. I'll be back in a few hours. Don't worry about me!"  
He grinned and, without waiting for a reply, he walked to the fireplace. Picking up the pot of Floo Powder, he took a small pinch, and placed the pot back onto the mantle. Tossing the Powder into the fire, Harry paused for a moment until the green flames had steadied, before stepping in and yelling, "Diagon Alley!"

Hagrid watched as the boy vanished into the green flames. He continued to watch as the flames slowly changed back to the gold and red colours of a normal fire. Reaching into one of his many pockets, Hagrid pulled out a rather dirty looking handkerchief and blew his nose loudly.  
"Who woulda thought," Hagrid said to himself, "he would grow up so quickly?"

#-#-#-

Harry appeared in the fire at the Leaky Cauldron and quickly stepped out. He gave a jaunty wave to the innkeeper and walked out into the sunlight.

Looking around, Harry wondered where to begin. He decided that the best action was to visit Gringott's Bank and get some money, so that he could afford to buy whatever his heart desired. Walking quickly towards the bank, Harry began to whistle a tune, so familiar to him. (_Cue Harry Potter movie theme music hehe – Mere._)

He opened the glass doors of Gringott's Bank and strode in confidently. Harry walked up to the counter and rang the bell a couple of times. A rather odd-looking head poked over the counter, looking down at Harry with a frosty stare.  
"Yes?" said the head, rather irritably. Not expecting such a sullen response, Harry took a surprised step backwards.  
"I…err…would like to withdraw some money," he said, hesitantly.

The head disappeared suddenly and a short, fat and rather ugly creature appeared from behind the counter. Harry took another step back as the creature came and stopped just a few steps away. "And does Mr _Potter_ have his key?" the goblin said, disdainfully. Harry pulled the key out from his pocket, his hands trembling slightly as he held it out towards the goblin. The creature looked at the key and virtually turned up its nose. It turned and walked down a corridor that Harry hadn't even noticed. Before Harry knew it, the goblin was halfway down it and he had to run to catch up to it, sliding his key back into his pocket.

Within moments, they were at a dead-end with no obvious exit. Harry looked curiously at the creature beside him. It had a rather odd expression on its face, a mixture of distain and annoyance. As Harry watched, the goblin reached up and touched a series of six bricks. The wall in front of them disappeared, revealing a track, disappearing into the darkness. The goblin let out a high-pitched whistle and a cart cam clanking through the darkness. It stopped in front of them and Harry raised a dubious eyebrow as the goblin climbed into the cart and grasped a lever.  
As Harry stood there hesitantly, the goblin called out, impatiently, "Come on! I don't have all day you know!"  
Harry took a deep breath and climbed into the cart.

As soon as Harry was in the cart, the goblin pushed the lever and, for a moment, nothing happened. Suddenly, the cart gave a jolt and it started down the track, gaining speed as it went along. Harry gasped and grabbed onto the sides of the cart.. It seemed to go faster and faster, and Harry began to shake with fear. Was it ever going to stop before him and the goblin died?  
A few moments later, the goblin pulled the lever again and the cart came to a sudden and complete stop. After picking himself up off the cart-floor, Harry breathed a small sigh of relief.  
_Thank goodness I was holding on! _Harry thought to himself. _I could have been thrown right out of the cart then!_

The goblin climbed out of the cart and walked over to the vault they had stopped in front of. It held out its hand, waiting, tapping its foot. Harry carefully climbed out and, after a few seconds, realised what the goblin was waiting for. Pulling his key out of his pocket, Harry handed it to the goblin. It placed the key into a lock, that wasn't there until just that moment, Harry was sure of it. Green smoke billowed out of the door, and, when it cleared, Harry's eyes widened in shock. There were glittering piles of gold and silver, shimmering stacks of bronze and gold; the vault was almost completely full. Harry turned back towards the goblin and said, "Err…are you sure you've brought me to the correct vault? This is 217 isn't it?"  
The goblin made a strange noise, somewhat like a sigh, and replied, "Yes, of _course_ this is the correct vault, _Mr _Potter. It _is_ Vault 217 and it _is _yours."

Harry just nodded in disbelief and gathered up a few of the gold coins, some of the silver and plenty of the bronze coins. "Um…," he said, hesitantly, "Could you go over what these coins are please? I've never shopped on my own before."  
The goblin basically rolled its eyes at Harry, "Gold ones are Galleons, seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle. Now, I have work to do." With those words, it handed Harry back his key and climbed into the cart, drumming its fingers impatiently.

Harry looked nervously at the cart, not certain he was prepared for another dangerous cart ride like the last one. Taking a deep breath, he asked, "Can we go a little slower this time?"  
The goblin curtly replied with, "One speed only."  
Harry sighed, and climbed back in, making sure he had a firm grasp on the sides of the cart.

Moments later, Harry was walking out of Gringott's, his legs slightly trembling. He leant against the walls of the Bank for a couple of minutes, trying to slow his heart rate down. He closed his eyes, and took a few deep, calming breaths.  
"Well, I see you have experienced the Gringott's cart," an amused voice said, out of nowhere. Harry's eyes flew open in surprise. When he saw who it was, he smiled.  
"Hello Roman," he said, cheerfully.  
"Hi there Harry," the red-head replied, smiling, "Where have you been all this time?"  
"Oh, here and there," Harry said.  
Roman applauded. "Nice side-step Harry," she grinned.  
Harry grinned back, without saying a word. The silence stretched between the two of them, long enough that Harry began to struggle to find something to say. Roman was just standing there, looking faintly amused.

"You…er…Look lovely today, Roman," Harry finally managed to blurt out, blushing slightly. The thought crossed his mind that he really didn't know why he had given her that compliment. If her outfit had been worn by anyone else, it would just look ridiculous. However, on Roman, it somehow worked.  
The standard top hat was now teamed with an outfit of black and red, with a little white thrown in for good measure. She had on a black torn-off shirt with no sleeves, under a shirt that appeared to be tie-dyed with black, red and white. Her black jeans were torn-off at the knee with mismatched knee-high socks showing, one red, one black and white striped. Her sneakers were also mismatched, one white, one black, with red curly laces holding them on her feet.  
Roman must have been reading Harry's mind, for she let out a peal of laughter, before saying, "Well thank you, Harry! It's certainly not too often I get compliments looking like this. But you have to agree, I'm unique. And by the way, Harry, you are looking lovely today also."  
Harry's blush deepened as Roman complimented him. "Thanks," he managed to stutter. Clearing his throat, determined not to let her see the effect she was having on him, Harry asked, "What have you been doing since the last time we saw each other?"  
Roman grinned, "Do you really want to know?"  
After getting a nod from Harry, Roman took a deep breath and said, "Well, I was expelled from the Little Wizards Preschool. I've been attending the Young Magic Elementary school, however I seem to spend more time in the Headmaster's office than I do in classes. I've developed this strange fascination with skirts and my smirk has come miles since the last time we met." Roman stopped and grinned at Harry, waiting for his reaction.

Harry didn't disappoint Roman with his reaction. "You've done _what_ since the last time you saw me?" he practically bellowed in shock.  
Roman's grin grew wider and prouder.  
"How on _earth_ do you get expelled from Little Wizards?" Harry exclaimed, incredulously.  
The red-head shrugged, "I guess you just have to be me," she said, with another grin.

Harry just shook his head in disbelief, not just at Roman's behaviour, but also at himself. Had he really wanted to bump into her again and help the friendship evolve? He sighed lightly and gave in. He somehow knew that there was no way to stop Roman from forming a friendship if she wanted to.  
Once again, the silence began to stretch and finally Harry said, "Do you want to go to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour?"  
Roman raised an amused eyebrow, "Now that invitation came rather easily, Harry," she said, grinning, "And I would enjoy that."  
Harry blushed furiously again, before starting in the direction of Fortescue's.

Moments later, they were at the door to the Ice Cream Parlour. Harry opened the door and held it there for Roman. She grinned and swept off her top hat in a bow of thanks. Walking in behind Roman, Harry was uncomfortably aware of the stares she was getting. _Although,_ he thought, _I'm getting just as many stares since I'm with her!  
_Roman marched confidently to a table, knowing she was being looked at and enjoying the extra attention.

She grinned at Harry as he sat down and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Bit nervous about all the attention, hey Harry?" she asked, "Don't worry about it – I'm used to it. People always seem to have something against those who don't follow the normal ways. I never have and never will." She smirked and tilted her top hat to an even jauntier angle.  
Harry shook his head in mute disbelief and pulled a menu over to him. Opening it, Harry's eyes widened. Roman was amused by his reaction and sat back in her seat to watch. As she watched, Harry pulled a myriad of faces, ranging from disgust to interest to plain disbelief.  
"How on earth could anyone eat Gherkin and Onion icecream!" Harry exclaimed at one point.  
Before he could go any further, a voice from behind him drawled, "Don't you know that's a delicacy, Potter? I would have thought your giant savage would have been feeding it to you for years now."

Harry slowly turned around, spinning faster as the voice called Hagrid a savage. However, Roman was quicker. "Now Draco, do you really think you can afford to call people names, especially when you look at your own family?" she said, drawling just the way the newcomer had.  
Now that Harry was completely turned around, he could see that the newcomer was a boy, with perfect white-blonde hair and a condescending smile. As Harry glared at him, the smile slipped down to a sneer and the tips of his ears turned pink at Roman's comment.  
"You don't have room to say anything like that," he retorted, "Since your poor mother couldn't keep her husband." The condescending smirk was working its way back into place, when suddenly Draco was lying on the floor.  
He looked up, shocked, only to see the hard menu flying towards his face again. This time, however, Draco managed to duck.

"Never say things like that to anyone ever again," Harry growled, still standing over the other boy. "I believe you were leaving," Harry continued, raising the menu threateningly. Draco hurriedly pulled himself up off the floor, and exited the Ice Cream Parlour rather quickly.  
Harry pushed his glasses back up, swept the piece of hair off his face that had fallen down, and returned to his seat. As he sat down, he was startled by the sound of one person clapping, slowly. Looking for the source, he discovered it was none other than Roman. He blushed.  
"Nicely done, Harry," he said, "Although a well-placed curse would have been much better." She smirked, just as Draco had.  
Harry flinched slightly at the mention of a curse, but managed to hide it from Roman. "Thanks," was all he said.

"Now then," Roman said, "I believe that we were about to order our desserts."  
Harry just looked at her in disbelief. _How on earth can she be thinking normally? _he wondered, _There's just been a tussle right in front of her and yet, she hasn't even blinked!  
_Roman laughed heartily, as if she could read Harry's mind, and said, "Come now! You don't really think that a little incident like that is going to take my mind off the reason we came in here, do you? We came here to spend some time together and to order a dessert, so let's do what we came here to do!"  
By the end of her statement, Roman's voice had turned a little tetchy, so Harry quickly pulled the menu towards him and began looking through it once again. This time, however, he avoided making any comments on the combinations, just in case.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a giant bell began ringing. Roman clapped her hands in delight, none of the tetchiness showing from moments ago. "Excellent, Harry," she said, beaming, "That bell is the signal for free sundaes. Your little trouble with the ferret delayed us just long enough. Quick, put your hand in the air."  
Harry blinked uselessly, before doing as Roman said, and put his hand in the air.  
Within moments, a waitress had come over to them, quill and parchment in hand, to take their order. Harry ordered the most normal-sounding sundae on the menu – chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts – while Roman ordered strawberry and peanut butter.  
Roman grinned at the expression of disgust on Harry's face and said, "You'd be surprised, Harry. Some of the oddest sounding combinations here are often the best."  
Harry raised an eyebrow and nodded silently.

Roman sighed, saying, "You're not worried about that ferret are you? Seriously, the less we think about him, the better off everyone will be."  
Harry replied with, "Well, I don't even know him, and I hit him with a menu! Talk about a lack of self-control!"  
Taking a deep breath, Roman decided that she had better let Harry in on the Malfoy story. "Harry," she said, "That was Draco Malfoy, conceited and self-important child of one of the –important- families." That was said with heavy sarcasm. Roman continued with, "He seems to think that if you are not of pure blood, then you aren't worthy to be taught at Hogwarts. However, he does seem to be a bit of a Mummy's boy, since she was the one that prevented him from being sent to Durmstrang. Or so I've heard." Roman's voice had lowered to a conspiratorial whisper by the end of it. "So," she said, "What do you think of the ferret now?"  
Harry shrugged, "I really should have got to know him first," he mused, "But then again, he did insult Haggie. We'll have to see what happens when we actually start school."  
Roman beamed, saying, "That's a bit better, Harry. A well-placed curse or two certainly wouldn't go astray on him."  
Harry was about to reply to Roman, when their desserts arrived. He used that arrival as an excuse not to speak about Draco anymore.

#-#-#-

A great deal of time later, they were standing outside Fortescue's. Harry looked rather uncomfortably at his feet, as he tried to think of something to say. Roman smirked at him, realising he was uncomfortable, and enjoying that effect she seemed to have on him.  
"Um, er," Harry said, none too intelligently, "I guess I should be heading home now. It's getting rather late."  
Roman burst into laughter, "And you didn't even get chance to do your shopping!"  
Harry shrugged, and said, "I guess I'll just have to come in here again tomorrow. Did you want to meet up again?"  
Roman raised an eyebrow and said, dryly, "Are you sure you want to risk it? After all, this meeting was rather eventful."  
Harry nodded, replying with, "At least when I start at Hogwarts, I'll know someone."  
Roman agreed to meet up again, saying, "This time, we'll meet up towards the end of the day, so that we can both get everything done. Meet you back here, just before 4pm?"

Smiling, Harry agreed and waved goodbye, as he headed back towards the Leaky Cauldron.  
As he stepped in through the door, the innkeeper gave him a wave followed by a hearty, "Hello, young Harry," stopping the boy in his tracks.  
"How did you know my name?" he asked.  
The innkeeper chortled, and said, "Well we all know your name here, Harry. You're a celebrity in your own right! Besides, how could we mistake the famous scar on your forehead?"  
Unconsciously, Harry's hand reached up and rubbed the scar. He shook his head slightly, and asked, "How is it that my story is so famous?"  
"Well it's not too often that a babe would survive such a spell," the innkeeper replied, "Every wizard in the world has heard of the Boy-Who-Lived."  
Harry shivered slightly, not knowing that he was so famous. "Anyway," he said, lightly, "I'd better be getting home."  
The innkeeper nodded and waved goodbye, as the Boy-Who-Lived picked up the Floo Powder and used it to get back to Hagrid's Hut.


End file.
